Americans Live Sicker, Die Younger

Posted on Jan 11, 2013

Compared with people in other affluent countries, Americans are the least healthy and most likely to die young; according to televangelist Pat Robertson, “awful looking” women are destroying modern day marriage; meanwhile, America’s richest citizens are hoarding $3 trillion a year (thrice our deficit) by avoiding taxes. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

I Would Prefer Not To—What Paperwork Means in Modern Life
In Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial, the hapless protagonist, Josef K., is asked to stand trial for a crime that has never been defined, in a court that is never in session. Instead of a trial, the protagonist spends his time arguing with bureaucrats over paperwork.